Songs for
Halloween A-H
A
funny little lady
A
ghost story
A
witch wears a long tall hat
Bats
in the belfry
Black
and gold
Chop,
chop, choppity chop
Cut
into a pumpkin
Dry
bones
Every
way and witch way
Five little
pumpkins sitting on a gate
Fright
night, hold tight
Five
spooky skeletons
Fly
little bats
Gobbolino,
the witch’s cat
Goblins
and witches
Hallowe’en
counting rhyme
Halloween
face
Halloween
fun
Halloween
hand fun
Hallowe’en
is coming
Halloween’s
coming
Halloween
surprise
Happy,
spooky Halloween
Have
you seen the ghost of Tom?
Here
comes Halloween fun
Hinx,
minx! The old witch winks
Find more Halloween songs at: Songs for Halloween I-M
Last updated: 10/10/2022
10:39 AM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ compiled, adapted and illustrated
by Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page
To listen to music from these
songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following conditions:
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you must give the original author credit
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
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any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
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Your
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|
A funny little lady 🔊
You never know
who might be knocking on Halloween night! A hand play. Music by Dany
Rosevear. Make pointed hat above head. Knock on a hard surface. Pretend to open
the doore. With hand to forehead look from side to side. Point up, make broom
swoop with hand / arm. |
|
A funny little lady with a
pointed hat, Knocked on my door with a
“Rat-a-tat-tat!” When I went to open it,
she was not there, But up on her broomstick,
high in the air! |
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A ghost story 🔊
A spooky hand play with the
concept of fast and slow. Time to use
your imagination! What is at the top of the stairs? Walk fingers slowly up arm, look over shoulder. Cover eyes. Put hand
to cheeks and look scared. Run fingers down arm. Wipe brow. Look alarmed.
Hands move like a wispy ghost. Make letterbox shape with thumbs and
forefingers. Hands to mouth and shout, “BOO!” |
|
Tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe up
the stairs, Tiptoe, tiptoe, past the
ghost that isn’t there; Tiptoe, tiptoe, in the
dark, dark night… Oh, my goodness – What an scary sight! SPOKEN: Run, run, run, run, run, Quickly down the stairs! T,t, t,….(sing tune of
first line fast) PHEW! Who’s that knocking,
trying to get in? It’s floating through the
letter box With a cheeky grin. BOO! |
|
A witch wears a long tall hat O
Another spooky song that is best
accompanied with a regular drum rhythm. I had thought this was a
traditional song as I had sung it to children since the 1970s but on
investigating in order to reply to a query found it was written by Dave and
Toni Arthur who wrote several songs at this time for various educational
publications. They also produced anthologies of songs and poems for the then
popular Thames Television Seeing and Doing programmes. |
|
A witch wears a long tall hat, A witch has a big black cat. She sits on her broomstick as she rides by And ‘Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooh!’ is her cry. A witch wears long black hair, A witch flies through the air. She sits on her broomstick as she rides by And ‘Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooh!’ is her cry. A witch wears a long black cloak, A witch disappears in a puff of smoke. She sits on her broomstick as she rides by And ‘Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooh!’ is her cry. |
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Bats in the belfry 🔊
A post
Halloween song for those that can’t let the fun go! Cross wrists. Put thumb and forefingers to eyes.
Brush cheeks with back of fingers. Flap hands. Touch watch. Throw out hands. Look sad. Brighten up. |
|
Bats in the belfry, Owls in the trees. Cats in the cornfield, Ghosts in the breeze. Right after midnight All of it’s done, And Halloween’s over, But wasn’t it fun! |
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Black and gold 🔊
A Halloween
poem by Nancy Byrd Turner. Music by Dany
Rosevear |
|
Everything is black and
gold, Black and gold, to-night; Yellow pumpkins, yellow
moon, Yellow candlelight! Jet-black cats with golden
eyes Shadows black as ink, Firelight blinking in the
dark With a yellow blink. Black and gold, black and
gold Nothing in between- When the world turns black
and gold Then it's Halloween! |
Chop,
chop, choppity chop 🔊
|
Music by Dany
Rosevear. Traditionally
this is a baby play game but with music and a minor key added it conjured up
images of a witches cauldron. Have fun deciding what might be the perfect
ingredients for Halloween night. The song would
also be a good accompiament to soup making when vegetables are in season. It would,
however, still be great fun to play with a toddler as below. 1. Move hands with a chopping motion. 2. Make chopping motions near
the feet and then the head. 3. Rub tummy (the pot). 5. As in 1. |
|
Chop, chop, choppity chop, Cut off the bottoms and cut
off the tops! What is left, we will put in
the pot; So chop, chop, choppity chop! Stir it round, stir it round,
Taste and see what you have
found!! |
|
Cut into a pumpkin 🔊
Making
pumpkins – one of the delights of Halloween. A finger play. Set to music
by Dany Rosevear 1. Make a cutting motion. 2. Pretend to scoop. 3. Cut a moon shape. 4.
Open and close hands. 5. Make triangle with forefingers and thumbs. 6. Hold
up 10 fingers. |
|
Cut into a pumpkin, Scoop it with a spoon, Carve a little mouth That is shaped like a
moon, Cut two eyes that twinkle, And a big three-cornered
nose. Use for teeth, ten shiny
seeds, And place them in a row! |
|
Dry bones 🔊
Time for a
good workout; move your bones and dance around while identifying parts of the
body through this adaptation of the traditional African American gospel song.
https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2013/05/dry-bones.html Stand in a large circle with plenty of room to move.
1. Dance in place along to the words finishing with a good shake. 2. Pat each
body part as it is mentioned then shake. 3. Children join together holding
hands and move / skip around in a circle. |
|
Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! Shake them rattling bones! The toe bone's connected
to the foot bone, The foot bone's connected
to the ankle bone, The ankle bone's connected
to the leg bone, Shake them rattling bones! The leg bone's connected
to the knee bone, The knee bone's connected
to the thigh bone, The thigh bone's connected
to the hip bone, Shake them rattling bones! Them bones, them bones
gonna walk around, Them bones, them bones
gonna walk around, Them bones, them bones
gonna walk around, Shake them rattling bones! The hip bone's connected
to the back bone, The back bone's connected
to the neck bone, The neck bone's connected
to the head bone, Shake them rattling bones! The finger bone's
connected to the hand bone, The hand bone's connected
to the arm bone, The arm bone's connected
to the shoulder bone, Shake them rattling bones! Them bones, them bones
gonna dance around Them bones, them bones
gonna dance around Them bones, them bones
gonna dance around Shake them rattling bones! Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! Them bones, them bones
them dry bones! We’ll shake them skeleton
bones! |
|
Every way and witch way 🔊
Out and about
on Halloween night. Words and music by Dany Rosevear. Choose a Halloween character and move in character
in and out of each other. |
|
Every
way and witch way, down the rambling road, Goblins are a-hiding with spiders, bats and toads. Skeletons and ghosties creeping everywhere, Rattleing and howling, they chill the evening air Halloween is here again to liven up the night, Halloween is here again to give you such a fright! Every way and witch way, about the moonlit lane, Witches on their broomsticks are flying once
again. Roly poly pumpkins in windows everywhere, Blink and wink with toothy grins, and wild and
wicked stares. Halloween is here again to liven up the night, Halloween is here again to give you such a fright! |
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Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
A traditional rhyme for Halloween.
There are many chants and rap versions of this song but for younger children
I prefer a simple chant with lots of expression. 1. Put five fingers behind an arm. 2. One finger up and then hands to
cheek. 3. Two fingers up and point to the movement of the witches. 4. Three
fingers up then throw out hands. 5. Four fingers up then hand make running
movements. 6. Five fingers up then put hands on hips. 7. Cover eyes. 8. Put
up five fingers and then roll arms. |
|
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate, The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late.” The second one said, “There are witches in the air”. The third one said,” But we don’t care!” The fourth one said, “Let’s run, run, run” The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” “Whooooo!” went the wind, And out went the light… And five little pumpkins went rolling out of sight! |
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Five spooky skeletons 🔊
A chase and
catch circle game for Halloween! This is a nod
to the song ‘Five little indians in a teepee’ from ’Sounds like children’
compiled by Jennifer Buckle. Words and music arranged by Dany Rosevear. Five ‘skeletons’ sleep in a circle; the circle
holding hands tiptoes round them. On the word ‘up’ the ‘skeletons’ jump up
and aim to catch one each of the fleeing children who become skeletons for
the next game. |
|
Five spooky skeletons on a
dark, dark night, Sleeping quietly, oh, what
a sight! Out came the moon and what
do you think? Up jumped the skeletons as
quick as a wink! |
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Fly little bats 🔊
An action rhyme
for Halloween by Susan Nipp and Pam Beall from their delightful collection of
children’s song books ‘Wee Sing’. Fly, crawl, stomp, creep, dance and float like each
Halloween character. |
|
Fly, fly, fly, little
bats, Fly, fly, fly, little
bats, Fly, fly, fly, little
bats, Halloween night is here! Crawl, crawl, crawl,
little spiders… Stomp, stomp, stomp,
little monsters… Creep, creep, creep,
little cats… Dance, dance, dance,
little skeletons… Float, float, float,
little ghosts… |
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One for those
who cannot venture far this Halloween. Words and music
by Dany Rosevear. Tiptoe and creep round room one behind the other
looking fearful. Stop to listen, hand to ear. Make up simple actions for
activities. |
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Fright night, hold tight, Halloween is here! Knocking at your window,
but do not fear; There’s apple bobbing,
spooky games, Pumpkin smiles and more, Magic potions, ghostly
treats, All inside your door! Fright night, hold tight, Halloween has come! In or out, it’s all about, With lots of scary fun! |
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Gobbolino, the witch’s cat O
A song for Hallowe’en by
G.C.Westcott based on Ursula Moray William’s wonderful story for children, find out more
at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobbolino,_the_Witch's_Cat |
|
One fine night in a witch’s cavern, Two little kittens rolled on to the floor; One, called Sootica, was black all over: The other, Gobbolino, had one white paw. Chorus Who’ll give a home to a kitten? Who’ll give a home to a cat? Gobbolino you may call me; I want just a fire and a mat. One white paw and a sheen of tabby, Two lovely eyes not green but blue, None of the witches would take this kitten … And neither did his mother know what to do. Then one day, when the sun was shining, Gobbolino found he was all alone. The witch had gone and deserted him for ever, So Gobbolino washed himself, then he left home. |
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Goblins and witches O
Halloween is a
great time for songs in the minor key; this mysterious one is by Robert
Richardson from Ginn’s ‘Singing and rhyming’ pub 1950. Chords added
by Dany Rosevear. |
|
What do the goblins and
witches say On Halloween night? “Boo-oo-oo-oo!” Whwwt! They’re out of sight! What do the goblins and
witches say On Halloween night They bump, and jump, and
thumpety thump. Whew! They give us a fright! |
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Hallowe’en counting rhyme 🔊
This delightful
Halloween number rhyme is by the wonderful singer and songwriter Kathy Reid-Naiman; it can be found on
her ‘When it’s Autumn’ CD which you can access through the link. As its title
suggests it is a rhyme and Kathy adds a lively rhythmic beat to her version.
The tune below is my interpretation. Dramatise freely but these suggestions might be
helpful: Each time show number of fingers. 1. Ring thumbs and forefingers to
make ghostly eyes. Cross hands at wrists and flap hands. Make pointy hat
above head. Throw out hands. 2. Brush whiskers on cheeks, make lemon eyes as
above. Forefingers to head for devils horns. Hands to cheeks. 3. Show claws,
wave, shake arms and hands. 4. Stretch out arms. Hands open and close. |
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Two little bats, Three little witches, How about that! Four little cats With yellow eyes, Five little devils, What a big surprise! Six little monsters, Seven little gnomes, Eight little skeletons, Shaking their bones. Nine little scarecrows, Stuffed with straw, Ten black crows go, “Caw! Caw! Caw!” |
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Halloween face 🔊
A Halloween hand play for the young. Marvel at how, with just a little
carving skill and a lit candle, a pumpkin is changed into a magical spooky
Jack o’ lantern. From ‘Materials for Nursery School teachers’ published possibly in the
1970s by Virginia Mc Caig. Music by Dany Rosevear. Form a circle with thumbs
and fingers. Ring eyes with thumbs and forefingers. Shape nose. Clap hands.
Touch mouth Stretch mouth into a grin. Shake arms, jump up and down. Put one
hand on the head and the other beneath the chin. |
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A face so round, And eyes so bright, A nose that glows, My, what a sight! A fiery mouth, With a jolly grin, No arms! No legs! Just head to chin! |
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Halloween
fun 🔊
A Halloween hand
play and a great excuse for lots of percussion sounds. Words, music
and game by Dany Rosevear. Verse 1. Hands crossed over at wrist flap in
different directions. Chorus: Hands prowl, put hands to cheeks looking
fearful, roll arms round each other, throw fists in the air. 2. Waft hands
around. 3. Stomp fists one on top of the other. 4. Hands form witches hat on
head, whiskers to mouth, draw moon. 5. Shake arms and hands, hands to face. |
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Bats fly up and bats fly
down, They fly all over our dark
little town; Chorus: They’re out at night to
give you a fright, But shout ‘BOO!’ ‘BOO!’ and they’ll run, And they’ll run, and
they’ll run and they’ll run, For it’s Halloween fun! Ghosts fly east and ghosts
fly west, They fly all around in
their floaty white vests; They’re out at night… Witches whizz by with cats
on their brooms, They cackle and screech at
the shimmering moon, They’re out at night… Monsters stomp along the
streets, With sharp yellow claws
and big hairy feet; They’re out at night… Skeletons shake and rattle
their bones, Wailing and swaying with
terrible groans; They’re out at night… |
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Halloween hand fun
Who is catching whooooo!? What do hands do on Halloween night? Hopefully give each other
frights! Encourages dexterity and includes an incidental number activity Written by Dany Rosevear. 1. Make forefinger beaks. On
one hand wiggle fingers then thumb. Show how many fingers and thumbs. 2. Make pumpkin mouth with
thumbs and forefingers. Hum skeleton tune. Wiggle fingers then thumbs. Show
how many fingers and thumbs. 3. Cross hands at wrists and
flap. Make hands zoom through sky. Suck thumb tip and make finger tears under
eyes. Lift hands and wiggle fingers all around in a scary motion. Clap and
clutch hands. |
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Owl hoots, for Halloween’s come, Wiggle fingers, wiggle thumb, Four fingers, one thumb! “Run, run, run, here they come!” Pumpkin grins, skeletons hum, (Dance Macabre tune) Wiggle fingers, wiggle thumbs, Eight fingers, two thumbs! “Run, run, run, here they come!” Bats flap in the dark, dark night, Witches zoom till morning light, Ghostly hands give us a fright! “I want my mum!” “Run, run, run, here they come!” GOTCHA!! |
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Hallowe’en is coming O
A song for Hallowe’en by Ginglend and
Stiles; a great one to enjoy adding eerie creepy sounds. |
|
Halloween is coming, Ha, ha, ha! Halloween is coming, Hee, hee, hee! Spooks will prowl on Hallowe’en, Bats and goblins will soon be seen. Ghosts will float right through the air, Witches on broomsticks will give you a scare. Halloween is coming, Ha, ha, ha! Halloween is coming, Hee, hee, hee! Jack-o’-lanterns burning bright Look out the windows on Halloween night, Ghosts and witches, goblins too, On Halloween night are out to scare you. Boo! Halloween is coming, Ha, ha, ha! Halloween is coming, Hee, hee, hee! |
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Halloween’s
coming 🔊
A spooky song
for Halloween with a repetitive rhythm ideal for accompanying with
percussion. Look from side to side fearfully expectant. Make a
stalking movement with hands. Hands form witches hat on head, whiskers to
mouth and cross at wrist to make flapping wings. Make ghost and goblin
movements. Flap and make whiskers as before as before. Prowl and make a
sudden scary face. |
|
Halloween’s coming! Halloween’s coming! Skeletons will be after
you! Witches, cats and big
black bats, Ghosts and goblins too! Flap, flap, flap, go the
big black bats, Ooooooooooo! “Meow, meow, meow!” say
the green-eyed cats, Oooooooooo! Boo! |
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Halloween
surprise 🔊
A simple
Halloween handplay. The children should
recognise the familiar tune. 1. Make arms like a large pumpkin in front of the tummy. 2. Pretend to
slice top. 3. Place hands above head. 4. Point to nose, mouth and eyes. 5. Place
hand pumpkin on the other hand doorstep. |
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First you take a pumpkin, Big and round and fat; Then you cut the top off That will make the hat. Then you hollow out The nose and mouth and
eyes, Put it on your doorstep For a Halloween surprise! |
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Happy,
spooky Halloween 🔊
A Halloween
song made for movement and sound. Choose percussion
instruments to accompany this. Words and music Dany
Rosevear. |
|
One rattling skeleton ran
down our street, It’s legs were long and
lean, Why was it there? To give
us all a scare, For it was Halloween! Yes, it was Halloween! Two grumbling goblins
stomped down our street, The ugliest we’ve ever
seen, Why were they there? To
give us all a scare, For it was Halloween! Yes, it was Halloween! Three cackling witches
flew down our street, With faces quite wrinkled
and green, Why were they there? To
give us all a scare, For it was Halloween! Yes, it was Halloween! Four whispering ghosties
sailed down our street, One was eating ice-cream, Why were they there? To
give us all a scare, For it was Halloween! Yes, it was Halloween! Five screeching black bats
zoomed down our street, Round the chimneys and in
between, Why were they there? To
give us all a scare, For it was Halloween! Yes, it was Halloween! SPOKEN: Oh, what a fuss!
Scared? Not US! So out we all ran like the
Gingerbread man, They heard our frightful
screams, Then after that scare, we
went close as we dare And sing, “Happy, spooky
Halloween!” “Happy, spooky
Halloween!”! |
|
Have you seen the ghost of Tom? O
Make scary sounds to enhance this
round. When singing this song as a round you would not use the chords
suggested below. |
|
Have you seen the ghost of Tom? Long white bones with the rest all gone, Oo-oo- ooh, O- oo- oo- ooh! Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on? |
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Here comes Halloween fun 🔊
A Halloween
circle game. Ask and answer questions, make choices and identify syllables /
beats in words or phrases. Practice clapping syllables of Halloween creatures
or phrases mentioned in the song before playing the game. Words and
music by Dany Rosevear. Pass a bag holding relevant Halloween puppets, soft creatures or
pictures round the circle. Children take it in turn to choose one named item from the verse being
sung keeping it hidden. They then clap the beat of the name or phrase e.g.
‘witch on a broomstick’ and the others identify and clap the beats. |
|
Jack-o-lantern, skeleton, Spider or ghost, Which is the one that
would scare you the most? Witch on a broomstick, A cat with green eyes, Which one would give you
the biggest surprise? Pirate or owl, Which one is out on a Halloween prowl? Little devil, creepy clown, Werewolf or bat, Who’s that knocking at our
door, “Rat-a-tat-tat!? Rat-a-tat-tat!? Rat-a-tat-tat!?” “BOO!” Adapt the song for other
topics e.g. Hippopotamus,
monkey in the zoo, Tiger
in the forest or a kangaroo. |
|
Hinx, minx! The old witch winks 🔊
A classic
Halloween rhyme that you can find in BBC Radio for schools ‘Poetry Corner’
Autumn 1986. However I have change it to the more well known ‘Hinx, minx’
rather than ‘Binx, minx’. I have also added a last verse adapted fom
elsewhere. Music by Dany
Rosevear. Verse 1. Stir cauldron. 2. One hand on top of the
other with thumbs out, point to moon. 3. Cross hands at wrists and flap them.
Circle eyes with thumbs and forefingers. Stroke cheeks. |
|
Hinx, minx! The old witch
winks, The fat begins to fry; There's nobody home but
Jumping Joan, The old black cat, and I. Hinx, minx! The old witch
winks, The fish jump out of the
pan; Jumping Joan is off to the
moon, As fast as ever she can. Hinx, minx! The black bat
blinks, And then begins to fly! A ghostly moan from the
ghost of Joan, Make all the children cry! |
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